Olympic crush: Suzanne Schulting

Suzanne Schulting of Netherlands with the bronze medal celebrate after the Ladies 1000 meters finals race during day two of ISU World Short Track Championships at Rotterdam Ahoy Arena on March 12, 2017 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Oliver Hardt – ISU/ISU via Getty Images)

Olympic crush: Dutch speed skater Suzanne Schulting

Of the seven gold medals Holland has garnered for speed skating at these Olympics, Suzanne Schulting’s triumph in the 1,000 meter may be the most significant. The Netherlands dominate long track speed skating in a way that few other nations dominate any other sport. But until Schulting topped the podium on Thursday, the Dutch had never won a gold medal in short track speed skating.

The 20-year-old Groningen native comes from a sporting family (her father was a soccer player) and has been speed skating since the age of eight. The PyeongChang Games are the first time she’s competed at Olympic level and in addition to her historic gold in the 1,000 meter, she also won a bronze medal in the 3,000 meter relay earlier in the Games.